Tiger Milk Tea Recipe

If you love sweet cold dairy-based beverages, you should probably try tiger milk tea!!

This popular beverage isn’t only sweet, it’s also fun to drink since it has tapioca pearls in it!

If you have never had any boba or bubble tea you might be a little confused or curious about how to drink tiger milk tea. Actually, it’s super easy and can be exciting once you know how to do it. All you need is a big thick straw and patience hahaha. Yes, you need calmness to enjoy this drink to a certain extent. Because if you’re too excited or you’re careful, you can accidentally suck 1 or 2 tapioca pearls in sudden into your throat, which in some cases can lead to choking.

But fear not, after 2, 3, or 3 trials, you should get used to it and know how to enjoy this drink peacefully and excitingly 🙂

What Is Tiger Milk Tea?

Tiger milk tea is a popular milk-based drink that has a look similar to the skin of a tiger; it has brown and white stripes combined with the black color of tapioca pearls. The brown stripes come from brown sugar while the white stripes come from milk. So, tiger milk tea is basically brown sugar milk tea with tapioca pearl.

Alright, the name might be a little ambiguous. Tiger milk tea is absolutely NOT made of tiger breastmilk. The first name of this drink suggests the look, not the ingredients.

There are at least two versions of tiger milk tea: with or without tea. You can pick whichever option you love.

How To Make Tiger Milk Tea?

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp quick-cooking black tapioca pearls (boba)
• 1 cup of fresh milk
• 1 teabag of black tea (optional)
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar syrup
• 2 cup of ice cubes (1 cup for cooling down the boba, 1 cup for serving the actual drink)

Directions

1. PREPARE THE TEA (optional). Using a small sauce pot, boil 1/4 cup of water. Use the hot boiling water to brew the tea in a small cup or small bowl. Set aside. If needed, place the bowl on top of a bigger bowl filled with ice to speed up the cooling process.
2. PREPARE THE BOBA. Using a small sauce pot, boil some water. Then, add the boba (they will immediately sink). When the boba floats (usually only takes around 30 seconds according to the brand and type of boba you’re using), let them stay there for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, check the boba (take 1 pearl with a spoon and chew it) if it’s still too chewy or have some hardness, continue the boiling process. If you feel that the boba is perfectly cooked, immediately turn off the heat and grab the boba using a strainer and transfer them to a bowl of ice.
3. ASSEMBLE. Grab a glass. Add the tapioca pearls (use a strainer). Add the ice. Grab the glass and rotate it carefully with your left hand and use your right hand to drizzle the brown sugar syrup on the inner wall of the glass (so they make stripes on the wall). Add the tea (optional). Finally, add the milk.
4. Serve and enjoy with a big straw.

Tips on Making Brown Sugar Milk Tea or Tiger Milk Tea

• Tapioca pearls must be cooked perfeclty well. Grab them too soon and they will still have unpleasant hardness. Grab them too long and they will become too tender and can start to stick to each other. Both of the cases can ruin your experience on enjoying the tiger milk tea.
• If you’re serving it for someone else, always ask whether or not they can take brown sugar, and if they can, ask how many amount of sugar they usually take for tea. Milk tea is naturally sweet already (because it contains fresh milk) and the brown sugar adds not only bold taste but also real sweetness. It can be bothering to some people. My father got a headache after drinking brown sugar milk tea, most probably because the sugar amount was considered too high for him.
• After pouring the brown sugar and milk, do not bother stirring it, let the owner of the drink stir it themselves. Stirring the brown sugar milk tea before serving can erase the beautiful tiger stripes, and you don’t want to do that.

Tiger Milk Tea Recipe

Recipe by Malvina

Tiger milk tea or brown sugar milk tea is super easy to make! You only need a few ingredients and simple steps to prepare this wonderful beverage!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca pearls (boba)

• 1 cup of milk (you can use vegan or non-vegan milk)

• 1 teabag of black tea (optional)

• 2 tbsp of brown sugar syrup

• 2 cups of ice cubes (for cooling down the boba and for assembling the drink)

DIRECTIONS

• PREPARE THE TEA. Brew it using 1/4 cup of boiling hot water. Let it cool.
• PREPARE THE BOBA. Cook it in boiling hot water for 5 minutes (you can add more time if it’s still hard). Strain it and transfer it into a bowl of ice.
• ASSEMBLE. Grab your favorite glass. Add the boba. Add 1 cup of ice cubes. Drizzle some brown sugar syrup on the inner wall of the glass. Add the tea. Add the milk.
• Serve and enjoy.